1,159 players remain in World Series of Poker

All players to be in same room Friday for first time this tournament

	Mike Thorpe pauses during the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Play will resume Friday, with 1,159 players vying for the $12 million grand prize.
Laura Rauch / AP

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updated 8:18 p.m. ET Aug. 3, 2006

LAS VEGAS - After six days of poker, 1,159 players remain in the hunt for the $12 million top prize in the World Series of Poker.

Dmitri Nobles topped the leaderboard at 549,200 chips after play Wednesday night. After a day off Thursday, play will resume Friday at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

Ken Jacobs, son of poker pro Tom Jacobs, was fourth with 375,300, while Canadian “Kid Poker” Daniel Negreanu was sixth with 331,000.

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On Friday, for the first time this tournament, all the survivors of the original pool of 8,773 entrants will be playing in the same room at the same time.

The $10,000-buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold ’em tournament also will begin paying off those who get knocked out, starting with the 873rd-place finisher, who will receive $14,597. The final table of nine will play down starting Aug. 10.
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Defending champion Joseph Hachem was well back in the pack with 114,100 in chips. Other notable pros still in the hunt include Humberto Brenes with 148,300, Ted Forrest with 130,900, Josh Arieh with 85,600, Cyndy Violette with 79,000, Juan Carlos Mortensen with 77,600, Hoyt Corkins with 67,900, Annie Duke with 67,000, Freddy Deeb with 64,500, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson with 55,200, Kathy Liebert with 48,500 and Phil Ivey with 23,400.

Notables who have busted in the 37th annual World Series of Poker main event include Phil Hellmuth Jr., Doyle Brunson, Greg Raymer, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Jennifer Harman, Huck Seed, Adam Schoenfeld, “Machinegun” Patty Gallagher, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Eric Froehlich, Barry Greenstein, John Juanda, Andrew Black and David Williams.

Also on the sidelines as play resumes are Lennox Lewis, Erik Seidel, Erick Lindgren, Max Pescatori, Vince Van Patten, Lyle Berman, Sean Sheikhan, Sam Farha, Benjamin Lin, Liz Lieu, Jennifer Tilly, Gavin Smith, Tiffany Williamson, Paul Darden, James Garner, Tobey Maguire, Chris Masterson, Mekhi Phifer, Antonio Tarver and Norm MacDonald.